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Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit, Main Line

2.3K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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5.Ke2
Analyze this line move by move

White expected score · All ratings · All speeds

49.4%

40%55%
Floor47.7%

the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 51.2%.

Measured over 2.3K games at this level and clock.

Tough Sellloses more often than it wins at this level

Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.

Outcomes for White

Draw 3.0 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 2.3K games

Rank among the families White can choose here
not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
Games in this context
2.3K
Best context
not measured yet
Average game length
30 moves
Games that end decisively
97.0%
Draws
3.0%

Best and worst are the strongest and weakest squares with at least 500 games behind them. The table further down shows every square, including thinner ones.

Extra Analysis

Deep-dive datasets for this opening

Gambit BreakpointWhite

Peak: −2.2% · Breakpoint: 1000-1199

Where it holds · White score by rating × clock

Green is clearly ahead for White, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It holds about the same all the way up, near 42.1%.

RatingUBBulleBlitzRapidClass
0-999——
1000-1199——
1200-1399—
1400-1599—
1600-1799—
1800-1999—
2000-2199——
2200-2499——
2500+——

Expected score matrix by rating bracket and time control

  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 46.0% expected score (11 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 43.6% expected score (14 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 36.7% expected score (6 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 46.4% expected score (26 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 55.2% expected score (66 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 44.6% expected score (26 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 48.0% expected score (70 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 52.6% expected score (114 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 38.2% expected score (62 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 54.1% expected score (60 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 52.7% expected score (219 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 54.7% expected score (63 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 55.6% expected score (70 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 47.7% expected score (213 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (86 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 8.9% expected score (7 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 48.5% expected score (98 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 49.5% expected score (195 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 47.2% expected score (70 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 63.4% expected score (6 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 53.3% expected score (106 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 48.8% expected score (208 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 59.0% expected score (43 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 44.2% expected score (118 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 48.4% expected score (213 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 52.1% expected score (22 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 43.8% expected score (47 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 48.0% expected score (23 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense
52.9%
Variations (5)
Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Knight Variation
52.8%
Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit
52.0%
Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Pierce Gambit
46.2%
Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Cunningham Defense
45.3%
Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Hamppe-Muzio Gambit
56.7%
Analyze Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit, Main Line PositionsSee what each move is worth at your rating, move by move

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit, Main Line scores 49.4% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 47.7% and 51.2% — from 2.3K Lichess games. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played December 2023 to November 2025.

How the figures are made
Whose games these are
2.3K+ rated games played on Lichess (2023-12 to 2025-11). The games are Lichess’s and free for anyone to use. What is ours is the reading of them. Last rebuilt January 2026.
Which games we count
  • Rated games only — nothing casual.
  • Both players within 200 rating points of each other. A mismatch tells you about the gap, not about the opening.
  • At least 2 moves played.
  • A game is filed under White’s rating.
Why every number comes with a range
A number off a few hundred games is a guess. The same number off millions is a fact. The range is what tells them apart, and it is what the lists rank on — so an opening cannot reach the top on a lucky run of forty games. The more games behind a figure, the narrower its range.
How much we need before we say anything
An opening page needs 100 games. A gambit needs 50 games at a rating before we will say whether it pays there. The chaos and trap lists need 500 games overall and 250 games at one rating or clock.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit, Main Line win rate?

Playing the Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit, Main Line, White wins 47.9%, draws 3.0% and loses 49.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.4%. It rests on 2.3K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit, Main Line perform best?

The Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit, Main Line performs best for White at 1400-1599, with an Expected Score of 53.3% (346 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.

Is the Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit, Main Line better in blitz or rapid?

For White, the Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit, Main Line scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 50.0% in Blitz (1.3K games) against 48.7% in Rapid (379 games).

How sharp is the Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit, Main Line?

The Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit, Main Line has a sharpness score of 97.0 (very decisive), meaning 97.0% of games end decisively. Average game length is 30 moves.

What is the Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit, Main Line win rate at 1000-1199?

At 1000-1199, White wins 49.0%, draws 3.8% and loses 47.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.9%. It rests on 118 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.

What is the Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit, Main Line win rate at 1200-1399?

At 1200-1399, White wins 45.9%, draws 3.4% and loses 50.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.6%. It rests on 248 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.

What is the Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit, Main Line win rate at 1400-1599?

At 1400-1599, White wins 52.5%, draws 1.6% and loses 45.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.3%. It rests on 346 Lichess games, which average 27 moves.

What is the Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit, Main Line win rate at 1600-1799?

At 1600-1799, White wins 48.1%, draws 1.5% and loses 50.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.8%. It rests on 376 Lichess games, which average 29 moves.

What is the Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit, Main Line win rate at 1800-1999?

At 1800-1999, White wins 47.6%, draws 2.8% and loses 49.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.1%. It rests on 369 Lichess games, which average 32 moves.

What is the Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit, Main Line win rate at 2000-2199?

At 2000-2199, White wins 49.8%, draws 3.2% and loses 47.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.4%. It rests on 357 Lichess games, which average 30 moves.

What is the Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit, Main Line win rate at 2200-2499?

At 2200-2499, White wins 44.4%, draws 5.5% and loses 50.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.2%. It rests on 353 Lichess games, which average 33 moves.

What is the Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit, Main Line win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet, White wins 48.1%, draws 2.2% and loses 49.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.3%. It rests on 606 Lichess games.

What is the Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit, Main Line win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz, White wins 48.4%, draws 3.1% and loses 48.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.0%. It rests on 1.3K Lichess games.

What is the Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit, Main Line win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid, White wins 46.6%, draws 4.1% and loses 49.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.7%. It rests on 379 Lichess games.

Is the Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit, Main Line a good opening?

The Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit, Main Line is hard work for White — it favours Black. Across all ratings, White wins 47.9% of its games and loses 49.1%. It performs best at 1400-1599. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.